Metallic casket



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PQH. HILL. METALLIG GASKET. No. 482,557. Patented Sept. 13, 1892.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

FRANCIS I-I. HILL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IVI ETALLIC GASKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 482,557, dated September 13, 1892.

Application filed April 27, 1892. Serial No. 430,903. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS l-I. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefnl Improvement in Metallic Caskets, which is fully set forth in the following specitication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents a plan view of my metallic casket; Fig. 2, at-ransverse sectional view taken at the line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a plan view ot' a detached portion of the casket, showing one of the locking devices locked. Fig. 4 is the same View as Fig. 3 with the locking device unlocked. Fig. 5is a vertical sectional view of that part of the casket shown in Fig. l, taken at the line 5 5, Fig. l. Fig. 6

is a side elevation of one of the locking devices, taken at the line 6 6, Fig. 5, looking to the left. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the blank top-piece of the casket with a portion cut away at one end. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the top when formed in shape. Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view of the top, taken at the line 9 9, Fig. 8. Fig. l0 isatop plan view of a detached portion ot' the metallic top, taken at the line 10 l0, Fig. 9.

My invention relates to the construction of an air-tight metallic casket which is intended to loe placed inside of a wooden casket. Itis made mostly ot' thin sheet metal, but has a strengthening-frame. It is desirable that these metallic caskets should be made airtight. To accomplish this, the casket is constructed with clamping devices for clamping the top to the body of the casket, so'as to make an air-tight joint. It is also important that the top be made oval and of considerable strength. The top may be provided with glass; but I have shown no glass in the top of my casket.

My invention particularly relates to the construction of the top of the casket and of the clamping devices for locking the top to the body of the casket, all as hereinafter specified, and made the subject-matter of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,A represents the body of the casket, made of sheet metal and provided with a Wooden frame portion B, which is covered entirely with sheet metal.

C is a rubber gasket, which rests upon the top ot the body ofthe casket, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

I claim no special novelty in the construction of the body A of the metallic casket. It may be made in any well-known form of a casket-body. rlhe top of the casket is cut out of sheet metal in substantially the form shown in Fig. 7. Both ends of the blank are alike, although one end is shown cut away in Fig. 7. The blank is then stamped up into the form shown in Figs. l, 8, and 9, the top being dat, with a raised groove D extending around the iiat portion E to strengthen it. The triangular slits F in the ends of the top are closed when the ends are bent into the form shown in Figs. l, 8, and 9, bringing the edges of the pieces G into contact, and they are brazed or soldered together, each joint making a rib, which beautities and strengthens the oval ends of the cover. The lower edges of these pieces Gare soldered to a piece I-I, which extends around the end of the top of the casket, extending outward, and is secured to the upper edge of the metallic rim or band I, being grooved over the upper edge thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. There is also a brace-plate J, rigidly secured by solder or otherwise to the lower edge of the rim or band I and extending to the lower edges of the pieces G, bein g soldered rigidly thereto. The side pieces K of the metallic top are bent around the rim or band I, forming the ledge and shoulders made by the pieces A at the ends, and also the braces J, as clearly shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings. This con struction at the sides of the casket can readily be made from the fact that the sides are straight. The sides, however, are bent in an oval form from the raised grooves D downward, and they receive at intervals raised ribs L L to correspond with the ribs at the ends ot the casket. These ribs L are stamped or swaged up in the metal plate.

I is a vertical metallic rim or band extending entirely around the edge of the top ot the casket and is held firmly in position by the means above described. The top of the casket is stiffened, so as to more securely hold this vertical band rigidly in position, by means of the ribs in the beveled ends and sides thereof. The lower edge of this rim IOO when the top of the casket is in position rests upon the rubber gasket C, secured to the body of the casket.

I attach to the body of the casket at short intervals double clamping devices, one of which I will proceed to describe in detail. They are all made alike. The under portion ot each ot these clamping devices is composed of a hub portion M and an elongated hooked side portion N and a thumb-piece portion O. The screw P passes loosely through the hub M of this clamp-piece, and the outer edge of the hooked portion is made rounded, so that when it is pushed against the upper edge of the vertical rim or band I it will raise up on the screw and pass over the top of the rim into the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings.

The top or upper surface is slanting or beveled. The upper clamping-piece is also provided with a hub portion Q, which turns loosely upon the screw P. That also has a thumb-piece R with which to operate it, and when turned around upon the under clamping device it forces it solidly down upon the vertical rim I. The hooked side of the under clamping device hooks over the upper edge of the vertical rim I and holds it from being crowded inwardly and causes the cam shape of the upper member of the clamping device to force it down vertically to make an airtight-joint. The screw P is screwed into the wooden frame B and passes through a seatblocks, which makes a seat for the under member of the clamping device.

To remove the top or the cover of the casket, one takes hold of the thumb-piece of the upper member of the clamping device and swings it around o from the under member of the clamping device. He then takes hold of the thumb-piece O of the under member and swings that around, it readily raising on the screw P to allow the hooked side to pass over the top of the rim I. These clamping devices when not in position to clamp the cover on the casket are shown in Fig. 4 and when clamping the cover in position are shown in Fig. 3. When the cover is placed in position on the body of the casket, one takes hold of the thumb-piece O of the under member ot' the clamping device and swings it around, bringing the hooked side thereof over the upper edge of the rim I of the top of the casket. Thisisreadily donefromthefactthat `this lower member ot' the clamping device will slip upwardly on the screw P to allow the hook to pass over the edge of the rim I. The operator then takes hold of the thumbpiece R of the upper member of the clamping device and swings that around upon the upper surface of the lower member of the clamping device, and by reason of the cam shape of the contact-surfaces of these two members of the clamping device great force is exercised in clamping the rim I down solidly upon the rubber gasket C. At the same time the hook of the lower member holds the rim in a vertical position and prevents it from being pressed out of shape.

I am aware Vthat various clamping devices have been used for clamping the tops of metallic caskets to the body thereof to make a tight joint; but I am not aware that any have been made in two parts having the hookshaped under member which hooks over the edge of the vertical rim of the top of the casket and is clamped down in the manner above described.

I have called my invention an improvement in metallic caskets. It may be used as a separate casket; but it is intended more especially to be used for a lining or inside of a regular wooden casket. It, however, is always complete in itself and capable of being made air-tight.

Having fully described the construction and operation of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

l. In a metallic casket, the double clamping device eomposedot two members, the unstantially as described.

2. In a metallic casket, the metallic platetop having slitted ends and continuing sides provided with strengthening-ribs and connected at their edges to a vertical rim I, and the vertical rim I, attached to the top and braced vertically, all substantiallyasspecied.

3. In a metallic casket, the vertical rim I, secured rigidly at its upper edge to the metallic top of the casket and braced thereto at its lower edge to be held securely in a vertical position, the hooked clamping device adapted to hook over the upper edge of the rim of the top, the upper member of the clamping device adapted to clamp the under member vertically upon the vertical rim I, and the rubber gasket C, attached to the body of the casket, substantially as specified.

FRANCIS H. HILL.

Witnesses:

A. M. BEST, W. C. CoRLIEs.

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